智通财经网·2025-08-03 11:29Core Insights - Microsoft's market capitalization has surpassed $4 trillion, overshadowing Amazon in the AI race, but the focus should shift from growth rates to deeper profitability structures in the AI-driven cloud competition [1] - The competition is not just about technology and growth but also about reshaping the profitability models of tech giants [1] Group 1: Microsoft and Google's Cloud Business - Microsoft and Google's cloud business are experiencing strong growth but face profit margin pressures, with Microsoft's "Intelligent Cloud" segment having a profit margin of 40.6% compared to 57.4% for its "Productivity and Business Processes" segment [2] - Google's cloud business has a profit margin of 20.7%, significantly lower than its "Google Services" segment at 40% [2] - The growth rates of cloud businesses for both companies are outpacing their higher-margin core businesses, with Microsoft cloud growing 26% and Google cloud growing 32% [2] Group 2: Amazon's Cloud Business - Amazon's AWS is the core profit engine, with an operating profit margin of 33%, while its e-commerce business has a profit margin of only 6.6% [3] - From 2017 to 2024, AWS's share of Amazon's total revenue is expected to rise from 9.8% to 17%, leading to an increase in overall operating profit margin from 2.3% to 10.7% [3] - AWS's backlog of future orders increased by 25% in the recent quarter, indicating potential for accelerated growth [3] Group 3: Market Perception and Future Potential - The market may be overly focused on current growth data for Amazon while underestimating its future potential and unique profit growth model [4] - There are common challenges across cloud service providers, including high capital expenditures for AI support that could pressure profit margins [3]